1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system including an information processing apparatus, an image pickup unit, and an image forming apparatus which are communicated with one another and which are used for a presentation and relates to a data processing method of the image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, explanatory material used on a presentation is printed using a printing device or a multifunction peripheral so as to be distributed to attendees of a conference (a first distribution process). Furthermore, in general, there are different alternatives for distributing minutes or memos of the presentation (a second distribution process).
A method for generating two-dimensional barcodes and QR (quick response) codes as two-dimensional encoded information and printing them on a medium has been widely used (as for a technique regarding the QR codes, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-231296, for example).
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-287201 discloses a minutes generation apparatus capable of generating minutes in real time with reference to utterances in a conference and medium information such as image information and document information used in the conference.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-12288 discloses a technique of converting document information or image information into barcode information as two-dimensional encoded information and printing the barcode information along with the document information or the image information.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-121673 discloses an information provision method for printing text information and barcode information obtained by converting the text information on an identical paper so that the text information and the barcode information are associated with each other. According to this method, information represented by text and barcode information associated with the information represented by text (such as audio information regarding the text, pronunciation information, video information, or recording information) are printed on an identical sheet. According to this method, when a user desires to output the information represented by text from an electric medium, the barcode information is read so that the information represented by text which is associated with the barcode information is output from the electric medium.
In general, in a conference system, the first distribution process and the second distribution process which are described above are separately operated and a result of distribution by means of the first process and a result of distribution by means of the second process are stored in different media.
Accordingly, although conference material prepared before the conference and material such as minutes which is made in accordance with the conference should be managed by being associated with each other as gathered materials, they are separately managed in practice. Therefore, when the conference material prepared before the conference and the material such as minutes are to be merged after the conference, it may be difficult to determine associations between proceedings of the conference and the material.
Furthermore, there has been a demand for management of conference information generated in accordance with information included in the first distribution process in a confidential manner.
Systems which have been widely used do not meet a demand in which conference material is printed and recorded in media as information which is visually understandable whereas contents of minutes is printed and recorded in media as information which is not directly understandable.